Hello! I have a question re where I can take my puppy when he doesn't have all his shots. Now mind you, I will not be bringing home my Golden till November 13th, where he will be 8 weeks old by then.

I have read that you do not want him to go anywhere where other dogs have been that we are unfamiliar with, and to only introduce him to animals that do have all their shots and that we know.

So with that being said, I know I am limited with our home, and our backyard, and that we are to wait till we can take him on walks and such till he has all his shots. So where can I bring my puppy without all his shots? Can i carry him to Home Depot/Lowes (where we are told they are dog friendly), take him to our bank (who will give him a nice tasty treat), I am wishing to take him to go watch my husband's football games outside, but don't think i can since their will be other dogs possibly around. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

You have tons of options for socializing your puppy, you just have to be a little creative. Someone with more experience may correct me, but I believe your number one concern is to keep your puppy away mainly from places where other dogs and wild animals may have relieved themselves. If you have a concern, just carry him around mostly.

When Duncan was a puppy, I took a pocket full of treats and he went everywhere I could think of. Your ideas were great, take a folding lawn chair and sit in front of the grocery store or Target. My favorites were the public library and to my kids' activities like dance class and the bus stop. I asked anyone who showed any interest in him to give him a treat when he performed "sit". He is very, very good about not jumping on strangers and I credit this to his early training to sit for strangers.

My breeder told me any experience that takes him outside the norm is beneficial.... going through the carwash, running errands, anything. All of these are good and the treats help make them positive experiences. Just remember to bring a towel and plastic bags to clean up any messes and chew toys so he's not chewing on you or your car. This can be a good time to let him get used to riding in a crate in the car. This is great for safety and so you can leave him in the car while you go inside places he can't. A puppy brought home in the cooler months has this advantage over a summer puppy.

You can take Tulo lots of places before he has had his shots! Take him in the car when you go on short trips, take him to your friends houses, take him to pet shops (but carry him in your arms!) If you have friends with dogs and you know that their dogs are healthy and have all the shots up to date then you can socialise Tulo with them! It's right to be careful but socialising him is also very important. Basically if you take him somewhere where there could have been dogs then carry him!